New "Garden"

How lovely Ba to see your new home..
You've done great with your new garden! That pussy willow must be a real pain, I hope you can get it removed before next spring, so no more dying pussies...:( and more light for you and your garden.
The fire and ice Hosta is absolutely stunning and one for my wish list. I bet you were really thrilled to place your lovely plants and make your new home feel more welcoming for you.
It'll be just great with an extension across the width and access down the side again.
Well done you, it's been a big undertaking Ba, but you'll get there..:)
Just love the sentry box, I could do with one too!

What a heck of a difference,and improvement ,you have made already,to your new Garden,Ba,it must have been a lot of hard work,but well worth it ,seeing what you have achieved. I really am impressed !
I love your Fire and Ice Hosta too,it's a beauty..and like Janey, it's on my list to buy now as well :o)

How strange that built on bit,is blocking the passage ! I wonder why someone would do such a thing ?? Anyway,I'm sure it will look great with a design of your own choosing,and you can get rid of that huge tree :o)
All your plants look lovely,and the Sentry box is brilliant ! As for Lillibet,she is gorgeous .:o)
So glad you have settled in well at your new home,June,and please keep us up to date with your progress.. :o) ..

Thank you Ba for coming back to us!

You are working your magic on what was a blank canvas. It is looking very pretty already and I love your storage units which look very smart.

Your hosta is just beautiful and your shade loving plants will look really lovely in the far corner.

You have achieved so much already and it has not been easy at times I am sure. Please show us any further changes that you make. Do you intend to plant a small ornamental tree or even a fruit tree perhaps? You could surround it with narcissi for the spring.
xx

I'm glad to have you back too, BA. Your border on the left looks to have filled out well in a short space of time.
People do seem to do strange things, sometimes, with extensions. Thought processes are often a mystery!
Keep us posted with your progress.

Lovely to see your new garden BA, you have made great progress with your border in a short time, what about an S shape or similar as it looks to be a long garden, you could add some nice curves in there and you have a lovely wall to work with, enjoy your planning. Have you stayed in the same area? :-)

Thanks Janey, the sentry boy came in different colours, but I love the green. it's not of very strong construction, bit houses some garden stuff on its shelves and my new little hover mower. there's also a separate compartment with a tiny door in the pointy bit. It's lucky I had loads of plants in pots, but can't wait to get most of them planted:-)

Ay up Sandra, every day I have to prowl up and down the right hand 'border' searching for bind weed and bramble, its full of it as well as the concrete etc and I'm merciless! As well as coming under the fence there are seedlings which I can at least pull out. It's a war and I'm determined to win!
I don't think for a moment the weird extension would pass building regs now, it must have been built some time ago. Lilibet says thank you, but you've put Henry and Mia in a sulk:-(

Thanks Chris (tell me I've got your name right:-) A small ornamental sounds lovely, I do miss my beautiful colourful acer which was by my old pond. I have googled it, but unless I want to pay a small fortune for one I'll have to wait and patience is not my middle name. I will study small trees and underplant with Thalia, my favourite narcissus:-)

Thanks Anget, the border on the left did contain some plants when I moved in. There is a berberis, mexican orange and a few roses, some of which had to go. I've planted my old variegated star jasmine which grew up a trellis against a west facing wall. The removal men were to quick for me and just pulled it off the trellis, breaking branches etc. I'm lucky it seems to have recovered and next year may put on more growth. I had forgotten it was in a large pot and had lined up all my other large and small pots for them, so my fault:-)

Hi Jane, I like your suggestion , I'm not one for straight lines and, sadly, I don't have room for circles as in my old garden. I must admit my old garden was getting a bit too much for me and I swore I would not have so many plants this time. I must confess I have bought new plants already even though I have brought so many with me:-(
I have moved to Pelsall, so not far from Aldridge. There are lots of commons here and my daughter and family live in Pelsall too:-)

Hi June, I don't know the area at all, but sounds nice and good that you have moved nearer your daughter and family :-)

You have done well so far BA but you definitely have your work cut out , especially with that border with the rods sticking out! Why would someone just leave it like that when it is so dangerous!
It would be great if you could get that tree removed too!
I love having a bare " canvas" to work with and I am sure that when the hard work is done, you will too!
There is such a lot of scope there for you! Obelisks, arches, even a centre piece with a small ornamental tree!
I too can't imagine why that extension is blocking the passage! Maybe the previous owners thought they would be safer that way!
I love your little dogs!
When we moved where we are now, I changed the shape of the garden gradually over a couple of years until I was satisfied with it.
Take your time and don't overdo it!

Thanks Rose, I did buy it in a hurry as my house was sold and the buyers were growing impatient. I had viewed loads of houses, but couldn't find one I liked. The housing market was manic and one couldn't view properly with mask wearing and distancing. I like the feel of my new house, it was built in the 1930's . It's just that there is nowhere to put anything at the moment. It will be good to have the tumble dryer and freezer downstairs and also a shower room/ toilet . I kid myself that it's good exercise having to go upstairs to the loo:-)) You're right, It definitely needs an arch etc. Its only approximately 17 feet wide and, I think 72 long, but will be about 63 feet when 9 foot extension is built:-)

Ba, obviously you will be buying a dwarf or miniature Plum tree as a matter of urgency, enabling you to make that well known Plum Cake, ha ha!

Seriously, I think your long garden needs curves within it, or perhaps a circle of paving with either planting or lawn within that. Experts always say you should wait a year to see what grows each season, but that's an awful long time to wait isn't it?

I just remembered where I have seen the sentry box storage before, Dottydaisy has/had a couple in a bright lime green!

I wish you the very best with planting up your new garden, keep us posted as things change. :o)

Actually I did think of a plum tree, saw one called the President on a gardening prog which sounded really nice, then I thought of all the wasps around it and changed my mind:-) I agree about the curves, my last garden was all circles. I saw a Garden Rescue the other night where they had what looked like a circular lawn with the centre cut out, like an oval but with pointed ends, cant think what its called lol and it was surrounded by paving. Maybe a Marquis shape? I also want centred arch with climbers and a bed each side I think for a little privacy. Got loads of ideas, but not sure what will work. I did buy some rope to make shapes, but all looked rubbish lol:-)

Hi its lovely to 'see' you again. Glad you are settled and you are getting your garden sorted. I know what you mean about those willow catkins. haha.
There is no rush to sort the garden though, slow plans are usually better in the long run as you wont make expensive mistakes.

Ba, don't forget to see where North, East, South and West are! I have found out the hard way that it pays to know where the sun shines during the day in my garden.

Oh dear,my apologies to lovely Henry and Mia,I hope I'm forgiven ! The dreaded Bindweed is so hard to get rid of,isn't it? I had to resort to a well known weed killer and spray the leaves,to finally get rid of ours,and touch wood,it hasn't dared to return ! The Brambles were a bit of a challenge too,but perseverance wins ,as it will with a strong minded lass like yourself,June ! Lol.,i
I think some curved shapes would be ideal too,with it being such a long narrow area,and maybe either a gravel area,or pavings,to make it easier to manage? I'm sure you have lots of ideas,and you will get there ,in your own good time xx..

Thanks SBG, you are probably right, it's all these awful people trying to rush me lol:-)

Now look here Shirley Tulip, even I know where the sun is, it's in the sky! I'm nobody's fool:-))

Now Sandra, it's obvious you don't have dogs ....a gravel area is definitely a no go. In my previous house I did try gravel in the front garden and all the neighbourhood cats thought I'd provided a toilet for them. There are certain things it is more or less impossible to remove from gravel, pretty though it is. Now, when you mention curves, are you meaning me? I know at school I was mortified when the girls would sing June is busting out all over at me and my obvious lack of said curves:-(

Ba, good to know you haven't lost your sense of humour since moving then . . . :o))

It will be lovely June, as others say take your time, we know how long gardening takes. You probably want something different but you have your photos of your last beautiful garden for inspiration, and will be great when you get your utility room, i had one built a few years ago, they are a great improvement aren't they:-))

Shirley, it's all I have left lol:-)

Thanks Jane:-)

Ba, You've got me laughing out loud at that comment . . . :o)))

BA, I know only too well what hard work is involved in creating a 'new' garden. I echo what others have said, take your time. Gardening is a long term project. I love what you've done so far and in such a short time it's a real credit to you. I really like your sentry box!

Thanks Waddy, my daughter has said when the building work gets bad I can move in with her. I worry about my little dogs though. They've already had to get used to a new house and they have settled in very well. Sadly more upheaval awaits them:-(

Oh,Ba.I haven't laughed so much for a long time:o) It's just like old times, when we had so much fun !
Erm,no,I don't have a dog,my dear,but I do have my little shadow,who is my daughters Dachshund, who loves to visit.. and no,I shouldn't have advised Gravel ,which isn't the best idea ,as I've found out ! So,back to the drawing board on that one !
As for the Curves?? oooh,you are awful,..but I like you ! as Dick Emery used to say..Lol.
I'm sure your little dogs will be fine,June,as long as they are with you,they will be ok.Our Poppy soon got used to her new home last year,and there were lots of different workmen in,doing jobs all last summer .x

Hi BA! 👋 Nice to see you rejoining us! You sure do have a long narrow garden to deal with! 😱

I seem to remember a gardening programme, which one I can't remember, where they transformed it so that it no longer looked like a green "corridor" but divided into 3 'rooms' by putting screens part way across the width of the garden but staggered & a winding path that led from the house to the back. It's something that has stuck in my mind ever since!

It won't do me any good though having a 3m x 1'5m balcony to garden on! 😂😂😂

I have to agree with Bloomer, BA. Your little dogs will be fine so long as you're there. I hope there isn't too much upheaval for too long.
As for the garden, dividing it the way Balcony has suggested might work well.

I aim to please Sandra:-) My house will be full of dust and noise as the back wall (most of it) will go and there'll be lots of digging for foundations of small extension as well as weird existing extension being knocked down. They love it when strangers come 'cos I think they get bored with me since lockdown. I believe it has caused divorce in many cases and sadly for them they don't have that recourse. I remember Poppy, didn't someone else on here have one very similar? :-)

Lol Balcony, when reading your comment I did rather think of kettles and pots:-)) I do like to make "rooms", I had a few in my last garden, mostly circles. I'm thinking now of doing a similar thing here if I have any money left, but no room for circles. Your idea sounds good and rings a bell with me. I had no grass after the makeover in my previous garden and my dogs preferred it that way. You should see their faces when having to walk on wet grass. They are not impressed. I thought they would love it:-(

Hi Waddy, my dogs and I would have to live in the front room and no access to small front garden for toileting (dogs not me) as my builder will be temporarily knocking down my front wall too so he can store stuff there. Being an old semi, there is only the road to park on:-(

Oh BA no access to the toilet might be a problem, for the dogs of course!
I had to laugh that the dogs prefered no grass to wet grass! My son has artificial grass (as do we now) and his dog is just the same. She hates going for 'Walkies' when it's wet under paw, but doesn't mind the false grass at all.
Has your builder told you how long you will be 'camping' at your daughters? If you have a time limit, you can cross off the days on the calendar. It has certainly helped the time pass for us while we've been having so many different workmen of one kind or another here since moving in 4 months ago.

My builder reckons 2 months in all, but I have heard tales of builders taking longer than they say:-(

Fingers crossed it all goes to plan and actually takes less time rather than more. Keep positive BA.